Fires of Life
by AileenRoseven
Summary: AU: Life is unfair as some say... and it rings true for Chief Nick Lopez at Piston Peak Air Attack. He's done his best to move on... and now he's got a new job on his hands with helping someone else conquer a fire in their life. But he isn't alone as he thinks he is in this task.
1. Prologue

Life is unfair… It's just how it's written.

We'll have moments of glory. Where we feel invincible, on top of the world, nothing bad could possibly happen to us.

Then… a curve ball is thrown and everything just goes off the rails. For some it might just be bump in the road that can easily be passed over… others… it's a mountain that seems impossible to climb.

Trust me… I know.

My name is Nick Lopez. Some know me as Nick Loopin' Lopez… but I left that name behind me 31 years ago. I cringe just hearing the name… Only thing it does is bring back the memories of a horrible day…

I try so hard to forget… but it just haunts me… it's part of me. It's the reason I am where I am now. I made it past that mountain in my life… I'm just scarred from the climb.

Everything I do now… was because of what had been done for me.

Someone saved my life… and I wanted to honor them by not letting my life go to waste after almost losing it. After someone had given it all up just so I could live.

To my dear friend Blade Ranger… I'll always continue to fight against the trials of life.

But this story isn't only about me…

I'm only a part of it.

After all… I'm not the only one who has fires in their life.


	2. Gone Up in Smoke

"Deep breaths, don't panic, it won't help, keep your eyes on me."

_Trying Skip… I'm trying… it hurts… it really hurts._

Dusty Crophopper gripped at his mentor's hand tightly as work was being done on his engine. Everything was just fine, it was a normal day of practice, he hadn't done anything different.

_Why did this happen now? I've never had anything like this happen… I really hope Dottie can figure out what's wrong with me._

"I'm almost done. How's the pain?" said mechanic asked.

Dusty cringed a little but relaxed as he felt some relief come over.

"Less now… still hurts…"

"Scale of one to ten?"

"5."

"That's better… Just a few adjustments… There."

Dusty completely relaxed against the table he was on, panting a little.

"Dottie… you seriously have magic hands when it comes to fixing mechanids."

"Don't thank me yet, not finished seeing what is wrong with you." Dottie walked away from the exam table, carrying what looked like small metal samples.

Dusty sighed.

"I hope it's nothing too serious…"

Skipper squeezed his hand.

"Whatever it is I'm sure Dottie will find a way to fix it."

"I really hope so Skip… What if I can't-"

"Ah! Don't even think about going to worse case scenarios." Skipper gave a warning look. "You're going to be fine."

"O-Okay…"

Skipper's gaze softened. "I know you're scared… I know how it feels… but you gotta keep your head up."

Dusty nodded, looking towards the entrance of the Fill N Fly.

"That was terrifying out there… just… free falling… yeah I've done dives… but that feeling… of no control… knowing you can't pull up…"

Skipper squeezed his hand again. "I know how that feels too… I'm just glad I was able to catch you before any other damage could be done."

"Yeah… then I'd really be out of the racing circuit for awhile." Dusty sighed. "Though if anything, just glad to be alive."

_Almost drowned once in the Pacific during the Wings Around the Globe… Don't want another near death experience like THAT._

Soon Dottie returned, a grim look in her eyes.

_That's never a good look…_

"W-Well…?"

"Major components all check out fine, minor misfire… but…" Dottie sighed. "Your gearbox is failing. I found small fragments of the gears in other parts of your engine, that's what caused you to stall in the air."

"Oh… well… can you fix it? Replace it?"

Dottie was silent as she shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen your kind of gearbox in a very long time… and building one by hand would be impossibly it's too complex, it has to be factory produced."

_I don't like where this is going…_

"So… what do we do from here then…?"

"You can still fly, but you have to pull back on power by 60%."

Dusty's eyes went wide. "60%?! But you got me at 180! I need that to race!"

"Dusty if you push it too far-"

"DOTTIE PLEASE I HAVE TO-"

"YOU'LL CRASH!" Dottie snapped.

Dusty went deadly quiet, caught off guard by the outburst. Dottie composed herself, a pained look in her eyes as she looked at Dusty.

"If you push it too far… you'll crash…" She held his other hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm so sorry… but it's over Dusty…"

Dusty remained quiet, taking everything in.

_I worked so hard… I got my dream… I got to race with my heroes… and now… I… I can't… I really am just a crop duster… I wasn't built to do more… it's simple as that… _

Dusty lowered his head, trying to hide the pain. Skipper and Dottie kept close, not saying anything. There was nothing to be said. It was all perfectly clear to them what was going through their friend's head.

His whole dream of being a racer… everything he had ever worked for… had gone up in smoke.


	3. Emergency

He needed air… and time alone. He needed time to think. He didn't want to hear what anyone else had to say about the matter. He wanted that to wait till he figured out his end.

_If I had to guess I'd bet all my trophies that Lead Bottom would come up and say I should go back to crop dusting. Forget. IT. I don't want to go back to that life… Sure, I help from time to time but… It's not all I want to do…_

Dusty found himself in one of the open fields where there was less corn and more trees. He looked to the side seeing the training course he had gone through when he was first training for the Wings Around the Globe Rally. He smiled a little bit in nostalgia… chuckling at some of the memories that came to mind.

_Skipper was so harsh… but it was all for good reasons… Made a racer out of me._

Dusty shook his head before sitting down under one of the trees for shade. It was one of the hotter days in Propwash Junction.

_It's a wonder I wasn't suffering from overheating too on my engine. Then again Skipper and I are pretty lenient about not overheating… Be it being sure we got enough water…. or one of us dunking the other in the river._

Dusty fanned himself a little before looking at the new bracelet that was on his left wrist.

"_This is a Medical Warning Bracelet, it will tell you if you're going over. If the red light goes off, you need to pull back… And Dusty… please don't do anything stupid. I know you will if I don't say anything… Just please… trust me when I say something's wrong."_

Dusty sighed.

_Hate it when she's right… and I bet a wrench would be thrown at my head if I tried anything… and there would be no body to be found afterward._

He shuddered.

_Gosh she can be scary when she's good and mad… But least she didn't say no to flying._

Dusty got up slipping on his flight goggles. He got into a ready position before breaking into a sprint and leaping into the air. He closed his eyes as the wind whipped against his face, feeling that sense of freedom flight had always given him. He was glad he still had this at least.

_I should be thankful I can still fly… If I lost that… I don't know what I'd do…_

He flew up higher, getting a better view of his home. He smiled looking down at it. He always looked forward to seeing the place after a race. It would be a great to just come back and be able to wind down without having news reporters hackle him or fans crowding him.

_Just peace… quiet… and fresh air…_

He took a deep breath, feeling clean air go through his system… but then stopped short when a different smell caught his attention. A thick… choking kind of smell. Something Propwash Junction was not strangers to.

Dusty looked around, his eyes widening as he saw the source of the smell. Not too far off in the distance, a smoke stack was starting to form near the end of the fields… and it was only getting bigger by the second.

_Oh no…_

Dusty didn't waste time. He bolted back to Propwash, yelling at the top of his lungs.

"FIRE! THERE'S A FIRE ON THE SOUTH END OF THE FIELDS! SOMEONE GET MAYDAY AND DAVID!"

Everyone looked to him before taking note of the smoke stack in the distance. People hurried around as the alarm was sounded off. Soon enough two men were seen rushing out towards the fire, fully equipped with fire fighting gear. One was a bit on the older side while the other was still in his prime. But age didn't matter, they were Propwash's finest in their eyes.

"Alright Mayday, work time." said the younger one as he took to the skies.

Mayday nodded. "Be careful up there David, this looks like a big one."

"Roger."

Dusty watched them go before glancing back at the town, seeing people scurrying around as they were following emergency procedures.

"I got all the gas locked up in case it gets close." Chug called out.

"Good, I got all the oil covered." Sparky answered.

_Ready for anything._

Dusty looked towards the fire, seeing Mayday and David get straight to work. Mayday using his fire hose while David was using fire retardant to douse the flames. It always amazed him at how fast they worked. Alarm goes off and bam they were there.

"Dusty! Get down here! Don't want you inhaling the smoke!" Dottie called to him from the Fill N Fly.

Dusty nodded starting to descend… till another noise caught his attention. Something that made everyone's blood freeze.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

Dusty looked towards the fire, eyes widening as he saw David was going down. Everything seemed to slow for him… until he found himself charging towards the fire as fast as he could go.

"DUSTY!" Dottie shouted.

Dusty ignored her and everyone else. He kept his eyes focused on David. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him as he dived. He felt a bit of pain and could hear his bracelet going off but he ignored it. Soon as he was close enough, he grabbed on to David, veering him away from the fire but not without a rough landing.

They hit the ground hard, both crying out a bit.

_Gonna be feeling that one tomorrow… _Dusty winced as he got up before looking to David. A horrified look coming to his eyes as he saw the condition the mechanid was in. His visor had been cracked open and the area around his eyes was bright red… burns… He was coughing up a storm too.

"W-What happened?" Dusty stuttered, unsure how to react.

David looked to him, his eyes barely open.

"Wind made the fire flare up, caught me off guard… I need to get back up there-" David stopped, looking around madly.

Concern came into Dusty's eyes. "What's wrong?"

Horror seemed to come into David's barely open eyes.

"I… I can't see… No no no… I need to get back up there! Mayday can't handle this on his own!"

"Easy now." Dusty helped him sit up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Panicking won't' help."

David nodded, shaking a little. "He needs help…"

CRACK!

Both heads snapped towards the sound, seeing the fire was getting close them. Dusty helped David up, getting him away from it.

"... Dusty…. Right?"

"That's me." Dusty kept his eyes focused on the path, picking up his pace.

"... Plane mechanid… right?"

"Right again."

"Good…"

_Huh…?_

Soon as they were a good distance away from the fire Dusty stopped to rest, setting David down. David, instead of lying down, stayed sitting up, shedding off what Dusty could assume was his retardant tank, holding it out.

"Um…" Dusty looked at it confused.

"Get the rest of the load on to the fire. Just dump all of it."

Dusty's eyes widened. "Whoa whoa whoa hold up a moment I don't know this kind of stuff! You really wanna trust me with THAT?"

"The first may have flared but it was going down pretty quickly, all you need to do is get at the right angle and drop it, it's like shooting a fish in a barrel. Mayday needs any support he can get."

"But… what about…?"

"I'll be fine, just get up in the air and get the rest of the retardant dumped. That's an order."

Dusty gulped as he took the tank into his hands, almost falling over a bit at how heavy it was.

_And to think he carries this on a regular basis._

"Strap it on." David ordered as Dusty did as told before handing him two control gloves. "Then put these on. Get at an angle before dropping the retardant, us the wind as a way for it to fall right on the fire. Once you're in the right position, squeeze the control on your right hand, that'll release the retardant."

"O-Okay…"

"Just focus… and this fire is nothing compared to what Mayday and I have seen before."

Dusty nodded, bringing his scarf over his mouth to act as a filter for the smoke.

"I'll be back."

Dusty took the skies, heading back towards the fire. He could see Mayday was still working hard and was putting out a good part of the fire, there was just the other side that needed to be taken care of. Dusty felt himself trembling as he flew around, trying to get in the right position. Part of it was because of the weight of the tank… the other was just how nerve wracking htis was.

_I can't screw this up… Why did this guy trust me?_

Dusty looked down at the flames. He wasn't sure if he was anywhere close to being in the right position…

_Focus… come on… How can… _

Then he thought of something.

_Can't believe I'm gonna make this comparison… let's just imagine we're dusting crops again… That required moving at the right angles… just think of it like that. _

Dusty flew around the fire again, focusing on his position.

_Alright… 3… 2… 1!_

He squeezed the control in his right hand, dropping the retardant on the fire… dousing the flames.

"BULL'S EYE!" he shouted, veering away from it as soon as all the retardant was emptied out.

Mayday looked up to him, a grateful look in his eyes as he finished up his end.

Wasn't long before the fire was in a controlled state, left to burn out on its own. Soon as it was, Dusty landed not too far from Mayday.

"Dusty?" Mayday blinked. "That was you up there?"

"Y-Yeah… David sent me over in his stead because he couldn't do it… Craziest thing I've ever had to do." Dusty panted. _Yet at the same time… that felt incredible… _

Concern crossed Mayday's eyes.

"Where is he?"

"Follow me."

Dusty lead Mayday to where David was. He was lying on the ground, his breathing shallow. He looked around as heard the two approach.

"Dusty? Who's there?" he asked.

"It's me partner." Mayday answered, kneeling beside him, worry in his eyes at the condition of his friend. "That fire blast really did get you bad…"

"Yeah… Can't see a darn thing…" David reached his hand out as Mayday grasped it.

"We need to get you to Dottie right away." Mayday helped him up. "She'll know what to do."

David nodded. "Is Dusty here?"

"Right here." Dusty said, squeezing his shoulder.

"Did you do it?"

"He sure did." Mayday smiled. "Helped a lot… good choice on who you gave your tank too."

"Figured being a crop duster mechanid he would know some aerial application." David grinned.

Dusty smiled sheepishly. "Yeah but there's a huge difference between crop dusting and putting out fires."

"Either way you got the job done… Nice work."

"Thank you… now let's focus on getting you fixed up."

As they headed back, Dusty couldn't help but look back to the little embers that remained of the fire.

_I… helped put out a fire… _

Dusty smiled a bit… feeling some sense of pride at the thought but shook it off, turning his attention back on Propwash.

_I have to admit though… that did feel good helping… _


	4. An Option

"Doesn't look good." Dottie shook her head as she examined David's eyes. "One more time… How many fingers do you see?"

David squinted his eyes, trying to see, but everything was just flat out blurry.

"... I give up… I can't tell. It looks like three, but for all I know it's two."

Dottie sighed. "Three… Everything is blurry?"

"Yes… I can make out shapes but not clear ones.. Just say it Dottie… just say it… I'm blind."

"David…" Mayday held his partner's hand, giving it a squeeze. "There's still a chance she could fix you. Right Dottie?"

Dottie lowered her head a little as she started to put away her tools.

"I can try some things to help improve his vision… but it would only be enough for him to get by with a normal life. But as for firefighting… That, I think is out of reach… I'm sorry."

David was quiet as he lowered his head… He wasn't sure how to respond.

"... I guess that's it then… I'm useless."

"Don't say that." Dottie said, growling a little. "Just cause you're partially blind doesn't mean you're useless. You just can't fight fires, we'll find you a new job. Don't go giving up on us now."

David flinched at the tone of Dottie's voice.

"I-I'm sorry… That was foolish… This is just a lot to take in… Fire fighting has been my whole life… and now… that's gone…"

Dusty was off to the side, empathy in his eyes as he watched the exchange.

_I understand completely how you feel David…_

"I know David… and I'm sorry." Dottie frowned, squeezing his shoulder. "But we'll get you as fixed up as much as possible and… we'll find something for you. You're part of this town and are by proxy family. We're not gonna give up on you."

David smiled, placing his hand over Dottie's.

"Thank you…" The smile soon faded though as a thought crossed his mind. "But that does raise one problem Dottie… Propwash Junction only has one firefighter now… and not that Mayday here can't handle himself… but with all the fires we get, he's going to need a new partner ASAP… and considering the fact it's fire season, that will not be an easy task."

Mayday sighed. "He's right… I'll try calling around… but I doubt it will be as fast as we'll prefer."

"We have to try… especially before flags are raised. One slip and TMST is going to shut down the air port for not being properly equipped for emergencies."

Everyone in the room cringed.

"Then let's not let that happen." Dusty said, walking over to them. "We'll look around and we'll find a firefighter."

They nodded… David kept his half blind eyes trained on Dusty.

"Or… there could be one other way to get a firefighter."

"Huh?"

David looked to Mayday.

"Mayday, does that old friend of yours still certify firefighters?"

"You mean Nick? Yeah. Why?"

"Well… I think one other solution… could be to send someone from here to get trained… and I think I know a good candidate."

Didn't take Dusty long for it to click in his mind what David meant.

"W-Wait a second David… Um… I know a put fire out but I don't think I…"

David had a serious look.

"Let me tell you something… Not just any Mechanid can be a firefighter. You have to be the right type that can carry heavy loads of water and retardant… and need to have the right build to do the job in the first place… Did you know the first aerial fire fighters were crop dusters?"

Dusty shook his head. "No… I didn't…"

"I remember." Mayaday chuckled. "I was there to witness it… Quite the mark in history… considering it was something the machine ancestors did too long ago. Just took Mechanids awhile before we figured it out again."

"I see…" Dusty had an unsure look. "I don't know… this is a lot to take in… and… I'm not sure if this is something I could do." He looked to Dottie, who had a worried look in her eyes.

"I won't force you." David started. "I'm just saying it's an option. If you consider it… I suggest sitting on it for a little bit. Fire fighting isn't something to be taken lightly… If you're sure, we'll contact Nick and send you his way."

"He's one of the best fire fighters I know." Mayday smiled gently. "Can take any Mechanid and make them into great fire fighters… Take your time Dusty… and like David said, it's an option, not something we'll force you to do."

Dusty nodded. "Thank you… I'll consider it."

Dottie cleared her throat.

"For now… just rest everyone… We've had enough excitement for one day."

* * *

A few days passed as Dusty considered what David had offered. He… really wasn't sure of himself.

_Would I be able to do it despite the gear box problem? And would I even be able to learn everything in a quick enough time?_

Dusty was sprawled out on the bed in his hangar, pondering everything. He glanced over at his trophy case… feeling some pain in his heart looking at them, reminding him of his situation.

… _I won't let this beat me… I may never race again… but I'm not gonna just let my life be this way… I'll find a new dream…_

"Dusty?"

Dusty sat up, seeing Dottie peering in from the entrance.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course."

Dottie made her way over, sitting beside him.

"Doing some thinking?"

"Yeah… David's offer hasn't really left my mind…" Dusty looked to her. "Dottie… would it be wrong if I took it?"

Dottie was quiet for a moment before she sighed.

"I don't know a lot about fire fighting… I don't know what limitations there would be for you… But if there's anything I've hated seeing, is seeing you miserable." She took one of Dusty's hands, giving it a squeeze. "I've seen it in your eyes… You want to be out in the sky, ripping through clouds at lightning speeds again… I don't know if you'll ever be able to do that again… But if something can bring that life back in your eyes… to feel you have a purpose in your life again… Then I say do it."

Dusty's eyes got wide. "Dottie…"

Dottie smiled gently. "I want you happy again Dusty… and something I've been meaning to tell you… Sparky, Chug and Skipper and I got your name out there. We're gonna try to find you a new gearbox. So if you do need one… We'll get it to you."

Dusty was stunned for a moment before a grateful smile came across his face, bringing Dottie into an embrace.

"Thank you Dottie… You really are a great friend… You've put up with so much concerning me… I'm glad I have you."

Dottie smiled, hugging him back.

"Someone needs to keep you in line." She tightened her hug a little. "But Dusty… promise you'll be safe."

Dusty nodded, holding her close.

"I will…" He pulled back, a determined look in his eyes. "I'm taking back control… I'm not letting this gearbox problem beat me."


	5. First Impression

"This is Maru to Nick, over."

"I'm all ears Maru."

It was early in the morning as Nick flew around Piston Peak National Park. For anyone else it would be too early, but not for him. This was just how he liked it. Not too hot, not too cold, and for the most part, was quiet.

"So I hear we're getting a new recruit eh?" Maru chuckled, sounding like he was working on something as he spoke through the radio.

"Yeah, he's only temporary though, so he won't be a permanent stay. Just doing a favor for Maday. Apparently his partner got blinded due to a fire and they needed a new firefighter ASAP and they found someone who could do the job. So, it's up to us to certify him."

An evil laugh escaped Maru's mouth. "Oh this will be VERY fun."

"Maru, murder is illegal."

"You never let me have ANY fun."

"Ahem, Duct Tape Crown."

Maru went quiet as Nick grinned.

"That's what I thought."

"Oh just get back to your patrol, Fire Lord."

"Yes Duct Tape King, Nick over and out."

Nick shut off his radio, putting his focus back on his patrol.

_No spot fires yet… But can't be too careful… Especially with Idiot Spinner around._

Nick narrowed his eyes as he saw a lodge come into view. The Fusal Lodge to be more precise. Even from up high he could see the place bustling with new comers, all being greeted by a well dressed man at the front door.

_Pheh… Nice to everyone else but us. That's Cad Spinner in a nutshell._

Nick turned away, looping around trees, shaking his mind of the man. Focusing back on his task…. and thinking about the new trainee.

_Mayday said he'd be a hard worker… and that he's nice… but we'll see how he does when he gets here._

Nick smirked a little.

_Dusty Crophopper… I've heard that name somewhere… Well, maybe I'll remember when I meet him._

* * *

It had been a long flight for Dusty. It took him about a day or two to finally make it to his destination. He sighed in relief, holding his duffle bag close as he saw the sign for Piston Peak National Park It was quite the sight to see too. Beautiful rock formations, lots of trees… all of it was just beautiful.

_And this is where I'm gonna be trained… Amazing…_

As he banked around an area he found what he was looking for… or least he hoped, as he landed, he found himself at what appeared to be a rather run down base of operations. He took note that a few of the hangars near by had ductape holding together little patches that had been added to the roofs… and everything seemed like it hadn't been fixed up in quite sometime.

There were some people around. There was a young woman cleaning the windows of a tower who looked rather exhausted, and another young woman who was sprawled out on a chair with tanning mirrors, enjoying herself, humming a bit to some music that was playing on a radio.

Thud!

Dusty jumped a little at the sound. He looked to the source to see a rather large man lifting logs on some kind of contraption, probably him just keeping in shape.

_Am I at the right place…? Kind of… laid back for a firefighter team… Not to mention rundown… _

"REVVVVAAA!"

Dusty ducked as a man jumped over him, sliding into a landing before hopping back on to his feet, striking a pose.

"YEAH!"

"DRIP!"

Dusty looked to see a woman come running out, another man following her, and two others appearing on the little hill that Drip had jumped off of.

"What's the matter with you? You nearly took the guy's head off!" the woman yelled at him, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well Blackout said it was okay to go dude!" Drip said, pointing to the man next to the woman.

"I did?" Blackout asked.

The woman shook her head. "He did?"

"Yeah, "It's okay to go dude!" Drip mimicked a talking motion with his hands.

Dusty cleared his throat, walking up to them.

"Um, excuse me. I know you're busy, but I'm looking for Piston Peak Air Attack?"

"You are there!" Drip cheered.

"Copy that Drippie!" Blackout offered him a fist bump, Drip happily returning it.

The woman walked around Dusty, looking him over.

"Serving beautiful V-8 Valley since 1958. Hm… You must be the trainee, we heard you were comin." She rejoined Drip and Blackout, pointing to herself. "I'm Dynamite." She pointed to Blackout. "This is Blackout." She pointed to the two people on the hill. "Pinecone and Avalanche." She rolled her eyes as she gestured to Drip. "And the evil-kanevil numskull right here is Drip."

Drip did a handstand, grinning. "You guys see that?"

Dusty shook his head, giving his best smile.

"I'm Dusty Crophopper."

"Dusty Crophopper? DUSTY CROPHOPPER?!"

Dynmite, Drip and Blackout ran out of the way as the woman Dusty had seen earlier that was tanning herself came running over, her eyes wide as she stood before Dusty.

_Whoa she's tall! _Dusty thought, looking at her in surprise.

"The air racer?!" She squealed.

"Uh hi… and yes…" Dusty gave a sheepish look.

"Oh my gosh! Shut the hangar door! I'm your biggest fan! I've seen every last one of your races on RSN!" She looked him over, a somewhat disappointed look coming her face. "Hm.. You're smaller than I thought, but that's okay!"

"Um… Thanks…?"

_I'm not THAT short! I'm 5'6 for crying out loud! Not my fault you're taller than me!_

"Okay Dipper calm down." Dynamite put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's not terrify the poor guy… also, your inner fangirl is showing."

Dipper straightened up, giving an embarrassed look.

"S-Sorry just… wow. One of the greatest Wings Around the Globe champs of our time."

"Yeah, let's just remember he's mechanid too."

Dipper nodded, looking back to Dusty.

"Sorry about the outburst… I'm Dipper by the way."

"Nice to meet you Dipper… Um… Is Nick Lopez here?"

"Chief?" Dynamite shook her head. "He's out scouting for spotfires, but he'll be back in a few."

"Great."

"So may I ask why you're here?" Dipper had a curious look. "Just… seems just so rare for a racer to suddenly just show up at our base."

"Well… I'm between races as it were and I'm helping some friends out with a situation so… I'm here to get certified."

"EEEE! Awesome! So you'll be staying with us!"

Dusty grinned sheepishly again.

"Ehehe… Yeah…"

"The one the Lakota call Hayoka beats his drum with the wind to make thunder… and with thunder comes lightning… and with lightning… comes fire."

Dusty blinked, looking to see the guy he saw lifting logs earlier was now present, his eyes solemn as he looked at Dusty.

"Um… Okay…? That was… very nice…"

Dipper walked over to him, giving a sheepish smile to Dusty.

"Windlifter, don't scare our guest I don't hear any drums-"

"Shh…"

Windlifter looked to the tower and as did everyone else. Just a second later an alarm sounded off as a young woman spoke over an intercom.

"All firefighters, we have a report of a wild fire!"

"Come on boys let's load up!" a man said as he ran around grabbing tools. "Patch! Drop the needle!"

Dusty watched in amazement as the base came alive with activity as rock and roll music started to play. He moved out the way as the firefighters got on various different equipments, quickly making their way for the runway and taking off.

"Oh… I gotta see this."

Dusty set down his bag before following after them. Wasn't long before a large smoke stack came into view. Dusty could see someone not too far from it, but couldn't really make out who it was. Then the figure moved through the smokestack, emerging as he dived down, dropping retardant on the flames. He had a black, white and blue fire suit on and was dark skinned.

_Due the fact it seems like was here before everyone else… That's probably Nick._

Nick finished dropping his load, looking to the others, shouting orders. Dusty watched in amazement as they got to work. It wasn't all new to him since he had seen David and Mayday do similar acts but there were some things that were new, like it was a bigger team, and on top of that different equipment. He watched as Nick swooped down, using grappling like devices to pick up a deer before it got hit by falling debris.

_Whoa… AWESOME! These guys are really cool!_

Dusty was just captivated… Then something caught his attention. He could see another person present, perched on a tree top. Seemed like he was just a spectator… yet he had an attire that was similar to Nick's but instead of blue it was red.

_Is he a firefighter…? He looks like one… But why is he just standing there…?_

WHOOSH!

"WAH!"

Dusty hadn't been paying attention to where was flying and found himself flying right past Nick, who got an annoyed look on his face.

"Get out of this air space!" he shouted.

"S-Sorry!" Dusty shouted, going wide eyed as he saw fire retardant coming right at him… and getting completely covered in it. "Ooph!"

"Oh boy…" Dipper grinned sheepishly.

Dusty looked to Nick, seeing the man's eyes narrowed at him. A look just spelled DOOM.

_And first impression with the guy who's gonna be training me… Ya nailed it Dusty… _Dusty thought sarcastically, scolding himself. _Nailed it._


	6. Adjustments and Training

"YAAH! THAT'S COLD!"

Dusty shivered, rubbing his arms as a man by the name of Maru got the retardant washed off him with a hose… and with ice cold water.

"That oughta do it." Maru snickered, getting back into his workshop. "I got work to do, gotta make a fresh batch of retardant."

Dusty looked to Nick, who was still wearing his look of doom as he looked Dusty over.

"Wait to dry off then you can fly back the lodge and be with the other tourists. Watch where you're going next time." Nick started to walk away.

"Uh wait a second Chief Lopez! I'm not a tourist I'm-"

"He's the trainee, Nick." Windlifter finished.

Nick stopped in his tracks, looking to Dusty.

"You're Dusty? The one Mayday radioed about?"

Dusty nodded nervously. "Y-Yes sir."

Nick walked around him, looking him over.

"Hm… Some adjustments are gonna have to be made but I think we can make a firefighter out of ya…"

"Think? More like I know we can!"

Dipper came running over, grinning widely. "You know who this is right Nick?"

Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Dusty Crophopper from Propwash Junction. What else?"

Dipper gasped. "Nick! This is THEE Dusty Crophopper. He raced all around the world! He's a racing champion! Tell him Dusty!"

Dusty went a little red. "U-Um I uh… guess… I did… yeah I did do that…"

Nick's look didn't falter as he looked at both of them.

"The whole world wasn't on fire, was it?"

Dusty swallowed hard.

"The whole world…? … N-No…"

"Hmph, then I see no relevance… A good racer doesn't make a good firefighter."

Dipper lowered her head a little, feeling embarrassed for herself… and for Dusty.

"Y-Yes sir…" they said.

Nick nodded, looking over to Maru. "Maru!"

"What?" he asked, lifting up his welding his mask.

Nick motioned to Dusty with his head. "Rip of his racing gear and get him a proper suit!"

"Wait, what?!"

Maru grinned, snickering as he grabbed one of Dusty's arms, dragging him into the shop.

Nick smiled a little before walking away.

"Don't worry Maru doesn't bite… much."

* * *

"There ya go, complete with pontoons and all."

Dusty looked at himself in a mirror, little wobbly on the new gear that was under his feet. It was similar to his racing gear save the new boots and pants, along with the harness he had on to attach the pontoons to him… Which were proving hard to walk on.

_Guess this is just a thing… _Dusty sighed as he tried to walk… falling right over and hitting Maru in the head.

"OW! Ugh… forgot." Maru hit the pontoons with a wrench, causing wheels to pop out. "Stupid sensors… There, now try. They're like giant roller skates if you will. Roll around for a minute so you can get adjusted."

Dusty nodded, doing as told. He moved around the workshop, figuring out how to stop himself and keep his balance.

"There we go… Don't need to keep them on 24/7 but keep the harness on so you can attach them quickly." Maru said as he took the pontoons off, setting them aside. "Duty calls you need to suit up fast."

"Right…"

Maru gave a nod before tending to other things in his shop. Dusty decided to look around before noticing one of the walls had picture on it… in a very similar fashion he had seen before.

"Hey! You guys have a wall fame like the Jolly Wrenches!" Dusty looked it over, smiling a bit. "So what's the deal to get on here?"

Maru was going through tools as he looked over to Dusty, giving a serious look.

"Crash."

Dusty's smile completely faded hearing that, looking at the wall again.

"Oh…"

"Yep… Dangerous work… but that's the life of a firefighter… They fly in when others fly out… Risking their lives for people they don't even know… takes a special kind of person to do this kind of job."

Dusty bowed his head in respect… thinking about David and Mayday with all they ever did for Propwash.

_I got a lot to live up to._

* * *

Dusty soon found himself knee deep in training with Nick. Right off the bat he was learning about different ways about putting out fires, practicing suiting up quickly, how to use his pontoons… and how to maneuver around obstacles. Which despite Dusty being familiar with the last part… it was proving to be difficult to finish the Augerin Canyon obstacle course when…

"Alright, redline it this time!" Nick shouted. "Make it under the bridge!"

_Come on… Don't go off!_

Dusty tried to go top speed but just before he could…

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

He cringed hearing the bracelet go off, the red light flashing like crazy. He pulled back on speed flying away from the bridge.

"Oh come on Champ, you won't be certified if you don't redline it. Being a firefighter means giving it everything you got!"

_Yeah one small problem with that. _Dusty snarked in his mind, biting his tongue so he didn't say it himself.

"I'll try harder next time, sorry Chief." Dusty responded.

Nick nodded. "Enough of that, I think that'll be enough for the day. Besides, it's getting dark."

"And firefighters aren't supposed to fly at night." Dusty said, remembering some of the stuff he had gone over with Nick and Maru.

"Correct, got something right, Champ." Nick flew off, leading the way back to base.

Dusty mentally sighed. _Can insult you and compliment you at the same time… Then again… Probably driving him nuts with not being able to redline it… Stupid gear box…_

Soon as they landed they parted ways, heading for their hangars… or least Dusty was.

_Need a nap after all that mess…_

He started to make his way back, but then stopped in his tracks when his eyes noticed something. On top of the main hangar was that man in the red fire suit he had seen earlier, only now he seemed to be in a more casual set of clothing.

_What's he doing up there…?_

Dusty walked over to the hangar, looking up at him.

"Um… hello?"

The man jumped, looking down at Dusty. He blinked back confusion as much as he could, but kept his eyes locked on Dusty. He didn't say anything… he just stared.

"Sorry if I spooked ya but… um… What are you doing up there? And… who are you? I saw you earlier when the others were putting out that fire. Are you part of the team?"

The man was still quiet for another moment before he spoke.

"... You can see me…?"

"Of course I can." Dusty raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

The man hopped down from the hangar, looking around, seeing that it was just him and Dusty at the moment. He approached him, looking him over before stepping back.

"Well… in general no one realizes I'm here… I kind of keep to myself. You're the first one to notice." The man folded his arms. "Dusty, right?"

"Yeah… that's me…" Dusty rubbed the back of his neck. "The trainee who keeps screwing up."

"You'll get there, just… try harder is all I have for you and be patient. Not every firefighter is good off the bat."

Dusty nodded. "Just like how I wasn't a great racer at first, but got better with training."

"That's right."

"Okay…" Dusty smiled a little. "That makes me feel a little better… Can I get your name?"

The man gave a bow. "Blade Ranger, but just call me Blade."

"Nice to meet you...So.. are you a firefighter? I remember seeing you in a suit similar to Nick's."

"Well… I'm something like that. I'm more or less a park ranger in a sense. I keep an eye on the fires and well… make sure the firefighters are safe."

"The last name fits you then."

"Heh… guess it does."

"Dusty?"

Dusty looked to the side to see Dipper approaching.

"Who you talking to?"

"Oh well I was talking to-" Dusty looked to where Blade was but then saw he was gone. _Huh…? _He looked around the whole area to see he was no where to be found.

"You okay?"

"Um… yeah… just tired… long day ya know with training and stuff…"

"I get ya… Why don't you get some sleep? You look like you could use it."

"Yeah…"

Dusy gave a nod before walking off… finding himself rather confused.

_Where did he go…?_


	7. Deal

"... And Nick didn't snap your head off?"

Dusty sighed, leaning back against a rock.

"Trust me, I thought he was gonna mount my head on the Wall…"

Dusty was alone again, and to his surprise, Blade showed up again, sitting with him in a more private area of the base.

Blade shook his head.

"Well… rookie mistake to put out a controlled campfire… especially when your nerves are shot."

"Just… eager to please… just this stupid gearbox problem…" Dusty eyed his bracelet.

"You really should tell Nick about that, he'd be a little easier on you if he knew."

"Sure… then would probably deport me." Dusty sighed. "There's no replacement parts… I'm stuck with this so there's no fixing me."

"Now hold a minute, I thought I heard earlier that your friends may have found one while you were talking to them on the radio."

Dusty looked at Blade with a little bit of a disturbed look. "You were eavesdropping on me?!"

Blade shrugged. "I don't have a lot to do around here."

"Ahuh…" Dusty titled his head a bit, looking at Blade carefully. "You know… you're a bit of an enigma. You say you're a firefighter or ranger or whatever… I believe you… yet at the same time I don't."

Blade chuckled. "What do you think I am then?"

"Something I don't know if it has a name… you just come and go… blink and you're gone… and how come no one has never noticed you before?"

"That's kind of my own personal secret… but as I said, I keep to myself… But I want to assure you I am here to help. I'm not here to cause any harm."

"I figured… you just seem different…"

"That I can say is very true." Blade smirked. "You can guess all ya like, I won't stop you."

Dusty chuckled. "Fair enough…"

"RIDICULO! ABSOLUTELY RIDICULO!"

Dusty and Blade's heads snapped towards the sound of Nick shouting at someone.

"Oh boy… Nick's temper hit its limit… I only know one mechanid who can get him shouting in Spanish."

Dusty and Blade made their way over to the site to see Nick arguing with a man in a beige suit and slick black hair and everyone else just standing around the two of them, watching, all wide eyed.

"Who's that?" Dusty asked Blade.

"Park superintendent, his name is Cad Spinner." Blade's eye narrowed as he looked at the man in question. "Name is so unfortunately fitting… always has a way of spinning things his way."

Cad crossed his arms, staring Nick down.

"Ridiculo huh? Well, last I checked it was rude to dump that… whatever that pink stuff is on my guests."

"I'm training a recruit that won't be here for much longer once I finish up so tell your guests to just stay in the lodge for the time being… or better yet cut down on how many guests you packed in here." Nick growled a little. "You do realize how unsafe it is right now with the humidity right?"

Cad rolled his eyes. "Lighten up Loopin', this lodge reopening is more important than whatever employee you're training."

Everyone around them backed away slowly, all gasping a bit.

"He didn't…" Dipper whispered.

"He did." Maru growled.

Dusty was a bit confused, but he knew Cad had said something he shouldn't have. Just looking at Nick he could see a fire burning in his brown eyes.

"You have no right to call me that… no one does!" Nick got in his face. "And what me and my team do is important! Wanna know how that lodge of yours never gets damaged? We're the ones keeping it from being burned to the ground! We keep the fires away! And how do you repay us? Cutting our budget! Some boss you are!"

Cad stumbled back a little before staring back at Nick.

"I'll do as I please, Loopin', and I'd watch your mouth. I can easily find someone to replace you and then you can go back to acting." Cad smirked. "You do better pretending to save people than actually doing it."

"You-"

"I would." Cad narrowed his eyes. "You used to be so carefree back in your day… now look at you. Heh, wonder what he thinks of-"

"BASTA!" Nick shoved him away. "BASTA! BASTA!" Nick growled a bit, glaring at the man. "Dejar! Ahora!"

"Speak English! I can't understand a thing you're saying!"

"He means get out." Maru stepped in, glaring at Cad. "We'll be more mindful of your oh so special guests. Just get out before you really set him off. I believe you have a party to tend to."

The other firefighters gathered around Nick, all giving the man a warning look. Cad scoffed at them before walking off.

They glared at him till he left before turning their attention to Nick.

"You okay?" Maru asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Nick shrugged his hand away, heading for his hangar.

"No."

Maru sighed watching him go, the others all giving a concerned look.

"Cad was really stepping on his toes this time…" Dipper frowned. "He has some nerve."

"Yeah… but not much we can do…" Cabbie shook his head. "Just get back to work… and make the most of what we got… even if it's just duct tape."

"Duct tape is our friend." Maru said as he went back to his workshop, everyone else parting ways.

Dusty decided to go back to where he had been talking with Blade, curiosity now flooding his mind… and concern.

"Blade… What was that all about?" Dusty had worry in his eyes. "Why did Nick get so angry about being called Loopin'? And what did Cad mean by Nick was better at pretending to save people?"

Blade sighed, looking in the direction of where Nick's hangar would be.

"... Little complicated."

"Don't throw that at me. I have a friend who has a habit of saying that a lot." Dusty gave a serious look. "Whatever it is, I've got time."

Blade pondered for a moment before looking towards the main hangar.

"... Wait till tonight. The crew can explain it a whole lot better. Go to the main hangar at midnight then once you're done hanging with them, come see me near your hangar."

"Okay… if you say so."

* * *

Dusty wasn't entirely sure what he was getting himself into but… he wanted answers so he didn't care how odd the situation.

He approached the main hangar quietly, giving a small knock. He jumped back when a slot opened and he could see only Maru's eye on the other side. The man grinned as he showed his mouth.

"Password?"

_If I remember what Blade told me before coming here…_

"Inferno."

Maru nodded, opening the door.

"Glad you could make it. Not sure who told you but whatever, welcome to the party."

Dusty nodded, looking around, seeing everyone save Nick seated around a TV with oil and comfortable in their bean bag chairs or whatever means they had for cushioning.

"Hey ya Dustmiester!" Dipper waved. "Glad to see you join in our fun. Pull up a chair!"

Dusty nodded, grabbing a leftover chair, sitting next to Dipper.

"So… what's this all about?"

"Oh, just our way of having a little fun."

"I see…"

"Alright." Maru walked over to a shelf, pulling out a tape. Dusty titled his head when he looked t the tape cover.

"Howard the Duck? Really? You guys watch-"

"Ah!" Drip cut in. "Judge not a tape, by its cover."

The lights were dimmed as Maru put the tape in, sitting in his chair. The show started with a small commercial before cutting to an opening. The Smokejumpers were bobbing their heads to the music playing.

_Very… 70's. _Dusty thought, finding himself bobbing a bit himself… before his eyes got wide with who he saw on screen.

The shots were mostly focused on a highway before showing two young men, police officers flying through the skies, grins on their faces. The camera took a turn for each one as their names popped up.

_Blazin' Blade Ranger… and Nick Loopin' Lopez… Loopin'..._

Nick in the shot looked a lot younger… and much happier too. Dusty cringed seeing that Cad hadn't been kidding… but it wasn't just Nick only surprising him.

_Blade too though? _He shook his head. _There is SO much that guy isn't telling me._

Dusty watched in intrigue, finding himself smiling at the cheesy yet amusing humor of the show along with the title. "CHoPs" as it was called. It was amusing to see how reckless Nick was as a cop and how Blade basically kept him from going overboard. The two were on their way to a studio fire to save a young girl's life.

"Here it comes." Dipper giggled.

Blade brought out what appeared to be grappling hooks that looked very similar to Nick's. He shot one of the claws down to the girl, picking her up by one of her arms as she held on.

"Hoist!" the firefighters shouted as they took a drink of their oil.

Dusty would've joined in but he didn't have any.

_Drinking game huh? Guess it happens a lot._

The show soon ended, rather cheesily too.

"Let's do Supercopter next!" Drip cheered.

"Yeah!"

"Ugh… more?" Cabbie grumbled. "This show stinks."

"Oh come on it's great" Dynamite laughed.

"I'm with Cabbie." Windlifter mumbled.

Dusty decided to slip out as a small argument started between some of the firefighters about the show quality. Soon as he was back in his hangar he was greeted by Blade.

"So, educated?" he asked, sitting on a box.

"Yeah… Blazin' Blade." Dusty crossed his arms leaning against one of the walls. "You didn't tell me you worked with him THAT closely!"

"Guess I forgot to bring it up… but you never asked me. You just asked me if I worked here or not. Didn't ask me about my relationship with Nick."

"Got a point there…" Dusty rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'm just… Stunned. You guys looked so close, yet you weren't defending him when Cad was insulting him… He do something to upset you?"

"No…" Blade lowered his head. "Trust me, if I could, I would've gone barreling in there and slapped Cad so hard his head would've spun… but I can't."

Dusty was confused now as he looked at Blade. It was still dark in the hangar and he could make out some sort of glow around him. Part of him said not to ask… But another part was too curious.

"How come?"

Blade was quiet for a moment.

"... Dusty. I mentioned how you're the first one to have ever taken notice I was here… It's more than just the fact I was keeping to myself."

Dusty tilted his head. "... There's something I don't know…"

"Tell me… ever come close to dying?"

_Oh geeze…. _ A haunted look came to his eyes as he remembered what had happened to him. Nearly drowning, the burn of the water he had swallowed. "...Yes.." He murmured.

"I thought so.." Blade brought his hand around something. Dusty hadn't taken note of it earlier, but Blade had a necklace on that had a gear and ring on it. Blade took the necklace off… it suddenly changing into a gear with a flame in the center that emitted a small glow. "You can see things others can't naturally."

Dusty gulped. "So.. You're…" He took a deep breath as it hit him. "... You're not mechanid… Or huminid… You're… You're a ghost!"

"Give the boy a prize." Blade had the gear turn back into a necklace. "A Remembered to be more correct… but yeah… I'm dead. Reason you can see me if because you nearly died yourself. You have the Sight."

Dusty was stunned, he was quiet as he sat on a box himself. "I can see dead people…" He echoed genuinely shocked. "I see dead people…"

"Sorry about the shock but you wanted answers and well… here you go."

"It's all good.. Makes sense now… Explains things like the glow and the teleporting."

"Yeah…" Blade sighed. "And why I can't go in to help Nick when he's in a bad spot… I can't protect him from Cad, but the least I can do is be sure he's safe while he's out there fighting fires."

Dusty's gaze softened as he laid a hand on Blade's shoulder. "I'm sorry Blade… So sorry."

Blade placed a hand over his.

"Not much can be done about it… come to accept that."

"Still…"

Blade squeezed his hand.

"Like I said… I can protect him… just wish I could do more for him."

"You haven't told him you're still here." It wasn't a question. Dusty was giving him a saddened look.

Blade shook his head. "Too afraid I'd hurt him."

"Can't you do something to comfort him?"

"I try and I do… but again… only so much."

Dusty frowned. "Sorry…"

"Don't be… you're not the one who got himself killed…" Blade stood up, looking Dusty in the eyes. "Dusty… do me a favor… help me look after him while you're here."

Dusty smiled giving a salute. "Can do. Lucky for you, you got an honorary Jolly Wrench here."

Blade smiled. "Thank you, Dusty… you got a good heart."

He shrugged. "I try… I just don't like seeing people suffer… I hate feeling useless…"

"Well… you aren't." Blade held out a hand. "We'll both look after Nick while you're here… and I'll do what I can to try and help you with your training."

Dusty grinned and took his hand. "You got yourself a deal!"

Blade grinned.

"Then we'll both do our best."


	8. Refine

After that night, Dusty and Blade decided to tackle training together. Dusty wanted to get better… and for that, extra practice would be needed. After a fire, Dusty would hurry off to meet Blade in a more private area to practice.

Blade would be harsh like Nick, but Dusty knew it was for his own good and Blade was all for him getting better. That, and Blade wasn't nailing him if his alarm went off. Though it was proving to be a problem.

"That new gearbox just can't come fast enough." Dusty sighed, slumping for a tree stump.

"Hm… We'll just have to make due… though I guess I could try to help a little… I just don't want you relying on me."

Dusty looked up at him. "Help me how?"

"Well… with how I am, I can share energy… healing if you will… but not to say all wounds. That's out of my league…. but I can give strength."

"I see what you mean… if you could remedy the gearbox problem it would be great… though I get the feeling it would only be temporary."

"Yes… hence not wanting you to rely on me."

"Right… Well… least I'm getting better in some areas."

"Aim is a LOT better now." Blade nodded. "And you got your facts down so…. I think that'll please Nick very much. The only problem we have is redline."

"... Well… you think we could try the strength share thing once? I…" Dusty lowered his head. "... I wouldn't mind being able to go fast again…" He shook his head. "Sorry that sounded REALLY selfish."

Blade smiled, a little, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No… you just miss something you were able to do before… I can understand that to a huge degree." Blade floated up in the air, his firefighter suit coming on. "Come on, let's get flying."

Dusty nodded, grabbing his gear before finding a place to take off.

They made their way to Augerin Canyon.

"Alright… ready?" Blade asked.

Dusty nodded.

"Ready."

Blade flew in closer, being only an inch above Dusty as they flew in sync around the obstacle course. The bridge soon came into view.

"Here goes."

Blade had his gear come out, gold energy coming off it, flowing into Dusty's engine.

"REDLINE IT!"

Dusty felt an adrenaline rush as he flew right on through the bridge. He remembered this feeling… it was that feeling of speed he had always had during races. He laughed as he flew up the waterfall, kicking up some of the water as he flew on over the bridge.

Blade watched in amusement as he pulled away, letting Dusty have his moment of freedom. He went over again, waving to people who were passing by on the bridge before making his way over to Blade.

"Well?" Blade grinned as they flew on back to base. "Feel better?"

"Much." Dusty sighed happily. "That… felt really good… I… I had no idea how much I missed that feeling… it's… like…"

"Feeling alive?"

"Yeah…" Dusty looked to Blade, grinning at him with a grateful look in his eyes. "Thanks for this… Blade… it means a lot."

"Anytime, Champ." Blade elbowed him a little. "How about we see how the others are doing?"

"Let's!"

They soon arrived back at the base, Dusty leaving his equipment for Maru to tune up a bit.

"Someone's been working hard." Maru chuckled, looking at his pontoons.

"Just… want to be a good firefighter." Dusty said as he sat down in a chair, watching Maru work.

"You're well on you way, Dusty." Maru dug through his tool box, finding the wrench he needed. "You already got the heart for it, just need to refine the skills and you'll be golden."

Dusty nodded. "How's Nick doing?"

"Eh… Idiot Spinner still won't get off his back about what happened. And with the grand reopening being today… Ho… He's probably gonna be back for seconds. Probably gonna ban us from flying."

"But that's so stupid!" Dusty crosses his arms. "Nick said it himself, we help keep this park protected. I think Cad should be banned from being able to speak. Just put duct tape over his mouth and call it a day."

Maru threw his head back laughing.

"I APPROVE! I SHALL TRY IT SOME TIME WHEN I CAN CATCH HIM OFF GUARD! IT WILL BE GLORIOUS!"

Dusty chuckled. "I'll bring the camera."

"And I'll shove him." Blade whispered.

"Attention everyone, Superintendent Spinner on base."

They went quiet at the sound of announcement.

"Speak of the devil." Maru growled.

Dusty got up, heading over to the pathway entrance to greet Cad, much to everyone's surprise.

"What's Dusty doing?" Dipper asked Dynamite.

"I dunno… but he's got some guts approaching Cad before Nick does."

The other firefighters watched in silence as Dusty stared Cad down.

"What do you want?" Cad asked, crossing his arms. "I want Nick, I want to speak to him about something."

"Not after what I saw a few days ago." Dusty huffed. "Come back when you're not looking to verbally assault someone."

"Oh? And who died and made YOU the chief?"

"No one." Dusty narrowed his eyes. "I'm just looking out for mine because he's my teammate along with everyone else on this base."

Cad snorted a little, looking Dusty over.

"... I know you… You're that Ripslinger fellow."

… _Idiot Spinner sounds REALLY fitting._

"It's DUSTY CROPHOPPER." Dusty growled.

"Whatever, you're both racing legends, you being the more famous, and what not. Besides that, why are you up here? Shouldn't you be off racing?"

"Off season, and I'm helping my home with something." Dusty fixed him a glare. "Now, like I said, if you're here to verbally assault Nick just so you can have your way then leave now."

"Or what?" Cad chuckled. "What in Machina could you possibly do?"

Dusty was quiet for a moment before looking to Maru.

"Maru… My water tank?"

Maru handed it to him.

Dusty smirked a little.

"This."

He opened the tank, dumping water on Cad.

"Sorry, thought you were a spot fire."

The other firefighters burst out laughing, some of them falling to the ground.

"OH MACHINA!" Drip howled.

"BURN!" Dynamite laughed.

Cad was shaking as he glared at Dusty.

"Who do you think you are!? HUH!? HUH!? I HAVE POWER OVER YOU! I CAN EASILY-"

"Actually you don't."

Everyone's head snapped to where Nick was as he approached.

"Dusty is under my command. I'm the one who gets to decide if he's fired or not. Not you."

"Then I order YOU to fire him!"

Nick folded his arms. "For what? He hasn't done anything to earn it. He put out a spotfire… he was just doing his job."

"WHY I OUGHTA-!"

"BASTA!" Nick screamed. He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Look, we'll leave the lodge alone for the day, but if a fire breaks out, don't be surprised if we show up. We have a job to do. Just worry about your itty bitty opening and leave the grunt work to us." Nick grinned a little. "Now I suggest you get a new suit before you have to show up to the reopening looking like a wet dog."

Cad grumbled something under his breath before storming off. Soon as he was gone, the other firefighters came around Dusty, throwing him the air and catching him in their arms.

"WAY TO SHOW HIM DUSTER!" Dipper cheered.

"And cheers for our chief for telling that idiot off." Maru nudged Nick.

Nick rolled his eyes… grinning a little.

There was a gasp heard from the Smokejumpers.

"Nick smiled."

"A-Are… Are we dead?"

They checked their pulses.

"... IT'S A MIRACLE!"

Nick chuckled. "Don't get too comfortable now." He looked to Dusty. "... Thanks."

Dusty smiled a little. "Just didn't want to see him tear at you again… Been through it… hate watching someone got through it."

"Good move… Partner."

_Heh… Blade would be proud… _

Nick gave a wave, heading back to his hangar.

Dipper threw her arms around Dusty.

"That… That what just happened was HUGE!" She squealed. "YOU REALLY ARE AMAZING DUSTY!"

Dusty blushed a bit, hugging Dipper back.

"Guess I have his approval…"

"No doubts, you do." Maru gave him a slap on the shoulder. "He called ya partner. That's HUGE."

"Well I had some help…" Dusty glanced over to Blade who was giving him a thumbs up.

_I think things are looking up around here._


	9. The Price

"_We're sorry…. but… no one has your gearbox… We tried everything… We're so… so sorry…"_

The morning was just rough… and now it was turning into a rough day with another fire that had broken out and had been made worse by Cad. A small one had started and the embers were spread thanks to low flying jets that were heading out from the grand opening. Now it was the firefighters' problem.

_I thought things were supposed to get better from here…_

Dusty was trying to focus… but his mind couldn't stop going back to the radio call.

"_No… There has to be…"_

"_Dusty… we've looked everywhere… We… We just can't…"_

"Dusty?"

Dusty's head snapped up, looking to Blade who had concern in his eyes.

"You gonna be okay?"

"... No…"

"CHAMP!"

Dusty was alert now as Nick was giving orders.

"Did you hear anything I said?"

"Uh sorry, run it by me one more time?"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"You and I are taking on part of the fire while the others take care of the other part that split off from it."

Dusty gulped. "R-Right. Sorry sir…" _Oh great… Nick's scream-o-matic must've detected he's not being loud enough… I'm doomed..._

They split off from the others, heading to their part. Nick's eyes narrowed when he saw the lodge come into view.

"Not good…" He turned on his radio. "Maru?"

"Yeah, Nick?"

"Contact the lodge and tell them they need to evacuate. The fire is not too far from their front door."

"You got it boss."

Nick nodded, signing out. "Alright, Champ, here's what we're gonna do…."

Nick started going into detail but it all got drowned out for Dusty. He could hear some bits but his mind wasn't all there.

_I… I'm never gonna be able to…_

"Got that?"

Dusty jumped a bit. "U-Uh yeah. Right."

Dusty flew in, dropping his load of retardant on the flames… all of it.

"What in Machina!?" Nick flew over closer to Dusty, scowling at him. "What was that!? I said split load! Not all of it!"

Dusty cringed not meeting his gaze. "I'm… I'm sorry! I'll just go back and reload-"

"We don't have time for that! Go back to base and stay there. I'll handle this with someone else"

Dusty shook his head. "I can reload off the lake, Nick please-"

"The winds are way too strong you won't be able to." Nick narrowed his eyes. "Return to base."

Dusty narrowed his… And made a dive for the lake anyways. _I am so done with him snapping at me… He thinks I'm useless? Well, I'll prove him wrong!_

"HEY!" Nick called after him, keeping above him as to not get caught by the wind.

"Dusty, what do you think you're doing!?" Blade asked as he flew beside him.

"I'm doing this job and I'm trying not to screw up… Blade… Please give me a boost… I can make it if I'm fast… Please…" He pleaded.

Blade thought it over.

_I don't want him getting hurt… and I especially don't want him to push himself too far…_

"Alright…"

Blade got in position above Dusty, readying his gear.

"On your call."

Nick watched Dusty in confusion and horror.

_He's gonna hurt himself!_

Dusty waited as he got into position. "NOW!"

Blade let energy come off his gear, letting it flow into Dusty.

"REDLINE IT!"

Dusty did as told speeding as fast as he could over the water, filling his pontoons before pulling up… Speeding past Nick with a grin. "Told you!"

Nick was just baffled.

_How…?_

He shook it off, following after Dusty.

"You're crazy." Blade muttered, grinning a bit. "You're so lucky you have me around."

"Yeah or your buddy there would've nailed me to the Wall by now." Dusty muttered back chuckling a bit. "Thanks."

"Anytime… now do it right this time."

He nodded narrowing his eyes. "I'm not screwing up again…."

Nick went first in dropping part of his load on the fire before letting Dusty do the same. He still couldn't understand what he had just seen.

_I don't get it… I've been telling him so many times to redline it and now… I… I don't get it. The wind should've gotten him too… it's almost like something was helping him… _

Dusty was keeping the pace up, trying to ignore the signs of exhaustion that were creeping in when the boost Blade had given him started to fade.

_Can't redline it anymore… Not right now… But it was worth it…_

"Hang in there Champ, almost done." Blade encouraged, flying close. "Just need to wrap it up."

Dusty gave a tired grin giving a nod. "Right… Doing my best."

"And you're doing great…"

"Alright, Champ, one last drop!" Nick pointed to where Dusty needed to go. "Clear shot and we'll have it controlled."

Dusty nodded, speeding over… He was pushing himself again and wound up having to stop mid drop as his bracelet went off. _NGH! _ The pain was back as well… _And now I'm gonna get it…._

"Champ!?"

Nick's eyes were wide as he saw Dusty basically stop mid air and start his tumble to the ground. Nick didn't waste another second as he dived after him, shooting one of his grappling claws at at him, the claw grabbing Dusty by his oxygen tank. It slowed the fall for a moment before dragging Nick down with Dusty to the ground, both making a hard landing.

"AGH!"

"NGH!"

They rolled for a few moments before ramming into trees, finally stopping them.

"Mgh…" Nick got up weakly, rubbing his head. "Agh… that hurt…" He looked to where Dusty was, rushing over to him. "Champ?"

Dusty was still on the ground trying to catch his breath. "I'll… I'll live…" He responded keeping his head down, not wanting to look up.

"What just happened up there?"

"... You wouldn't understand…"

"Try me."

Dusty looked up grief in his eyes.

"... My gearbox is failing… It stopped up there…"

Nick's eyes went wide.

"Then… how did you…?"

Dusty shook his head. "Pushed myself… Too hard."

Nick was just shocked… sympathy slowly coming to his eyes.

"Dusty… why didn't you tell me?"

Dusty sat up completely, meeting his gaze. "You would've deported me… Don't tell me you wouldn't have."

Nick was gonna say that but… when he thought about it…

"... I would've… But if I had known-"

CRACK!

Nick and Dusty jumped a bit, seeing both of them were closer to the fire than they had thought… it had them surrounded.

"Oh no…" Nick got up, looking around.

_Not enough room for Dusty to get a proper take off… and I can't carry him out either, flames will get both of us if I dare to fly up…_

His eyes landed on a mineshaft.

_It's our best shot._

"Follow me" Nick gave a wave of his hand, leading Dusty over the mineshaft.

Dusty didn't hesitate as he ran after him… A grim thought coming over him as he noted there was nothing to protect the mine from the blaze outside… Or another exit.

…_. One of us has to come out of it alright… And it's not gonna be me regardless.._

Nick and Dusty huddled into the mineshaft, Nick getting in a defensive stance in front of Dusty… only to be surprised when Dusty grabbed him, pulling him behind him.

"Dusty, what are you-!?"

"Just trust me!" Dusty snapped. "Keep down and TRUST ME FOR ONCE!"

Nick was wide eyed.

"You…"

Dusty gave a small smile before it faded as he braced himself.

_Sorry... I can't let you protect someone who can't even fly anymore… You're worth saving…_

The flames came on and they came on hard. Dusty bit his lip, trying not to scream… but he couldn't hold it back for long as he cried out in agony.

"DUSTY! STOP!"

Dusty shook his head trying to speak before another scream overcame him.

"JUST LET ME DO ONE THING RIGHT!"

_No… No you idiot you're gonna-..._

… _You know…_

_You know don't you?_

Dusty didn't allow himself to speak anymore. He just focused on keeping Nick covered… taking on the brunt force of the fire. It was agony… and it was becoming hard to stand… he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hope you're okay with having me around…" Blade whispered to him. "Not letting you face this alone…"

Dusty didn't speak, but he gave a nod, gritting his teeth, trying not to scream as he kept at it. The pain kept radiating through him, he was getting dizzy.

_Just a little more…._

Blade stood with him, looking up to see rubble coming down. He narrowed his eyes, creating a barrier to keep it from crushing them. He looked to Nick, finding the man completely shocked at everything.

_Sorry it had to be this way…_

With that… everything went dark for all three of them.

* * *

"How's the evacuation looking?" Dipper asked Maru as she and the others landed.

"Took some yelling at Cad, but least some people saw reason and are leaving the lodge." Maru explained. "Though from what I heard, Cad might be in hot water for not doing it right away."

"Hmph. Serves him right." Dipper looked to Windlifter. "We got the fire mostly under control… but we might have to head out again… and we're worried."

"Have you heard from Nick?" Windlifter asked. "We've been trying to contact him and Dusty but their radios have been unresponsive."

"No, I haven't. This whole time I've been screamin' at Cad." Maru deadpanned trying to hide his concern. "I'll try myself… I'm sure they're fine but knowing Nick probably busted or dropped his performing some feat of amazing…"

There was noise heard in Maru's shop.. coming from his radio.

"This is Nick Lopez… Anyone there?"

It was Nick's voice… and he sounded rather weak at that… or rather… he sounded almost scared.

Maru ran in grabbing it. "Yeah I'm here, Chief. What's going on? Everyone's been trying to contact you and Dusty."

"Have…" Nick stopped for a moment to cough. "Have the shop ready.. Dusty's hurt… badly."

Maru felt dread go through him. "Will do. Need me to send Wind for backup?"

"No… already here…"

All turned to the runway… Nick making a shaky landing but still landing on his feet. He was covered in ash and had injuries of his own… in his arms… was Dusty. Dusty was completely covered in ash, parts of his hair burned and parts of his suit was burned as well.

"Chrysler…" Maru muttered dropping the radio as he grabbed a stretcher rushing over. "Lay him down right now! What the heck happened out there!?"

Nick laid Dusty down, following Maru into the shop.

"We… we got caught in the fire… We took shelter in a mineshaft… and…" Nick lowered his head. "Idiot decided to play hero…"

Maru shook his head as he got Dusty hooked onto oxygen and monitors, getting the rest of his equipment, starting to work. "The kid's an idiot alright… These burns… I've only seen them once before…. On Ray."

"Rightfully so… because that's what Dusty did… shoved me behind and took on the flames." Nick's hand balled into fists. "It should've been me… yet he didn't let me."

Maru didn't look up from his work before he spoke. "The kid's got the heart of a firefighter… He knew what he was doing… Because he didn't let you protect him to save his own skin… He made his choice."

The others all looked in, mortified at Dusty's condition.

"Will… Will he be okay?" Dipper asked, bringing a hand to her mouth.

Maru sighed. "I'd ask me again in an hour. Right now, I'm amazed he's still breathing… The burns are bad, engine damage pretty severe… He's losing blood and hydraulic fluid fast…" _The idiot indeed…_

Pinecone looked away as Drip brought an arm around her. "Not again…"

Nick got up, heading out, looking to Patch up in her tower.

"Patch? Status of the fire?"

"Bad… the flames are causing some problems for the evacuation."

"Then we got a job to do…" Nick looked to the others. "Everyone… I know it's night… but we can't let this go on."

Dipper narrowed her eyes. "Then let's stop talking about it and do it… If it passes the lodge it eventually will come our way and then…" She looked to where Dusty was. "... Then we have everything really on the line…"

"Let's get to it then."

Everyone hurried into position as Maru go them loaded up. He scowled as the meter on the water valve went down a bit before he was finished loading Nick's tank.

"Ugh… That's all I got for you Chief. No water coming in."

"I'll make due then."

Nick lead the way out, stealing one last glance at the base.

_Hang in there Dusty… we'll be back for ya… just making use of what you gave me…_

_Just like what Blade did for me…_


	10. Victory

"You're as bad me… You know that?"

Dusty opened his eyes slowly. He found himself in an area that was dark red in color… covered in ash… small flames burning around. Blade was standing before him, worry in his eyes.

"Yeah…" Dusty coughed. "Figures, you've been teaching me stuff…"

"True." Blade sat next to him. "But you were willing to protect Nick at the cost of your life… just like I did."

"I couldn't let him do that… Not after everything… And not after my gearbox failed… I wasn't worth protecting… But he was." Dusty sat up as he looked to Blade. "... So I'm dead?"

"Not yet… just hang in there… Don't do what I did." Blade showed his gear. "You don't want this… you really don't want this."

"I wanna live… I have people who need me back home." Dusty coughed. "My family… My friends…"

Blade stroked his back, trying to ease his breathing.

"Just hang in there… Nick already lost me 30 years ago… don't need him to lose you too… That would break him…"

Dusty relaxed as his breathing evened out for the time being. "Can… Can I ask what happened to you Blade?"

"How I died you mean?"

He nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking… You said it involved Nick…"

"It did… and why he left acting behind him… and why he wound up here…" Blade sighed looking up. "Fire started all of this… funnily enough… Was just another day on the set… just doing our thing… then… I… We don't know what happened… short out on some equipment… I don't know… next thing we knew… fire was everywhere. Nick and I got to work helping people get out… then it came to just us getting out…" Blade closed his eyes. "Things were coming down… we were both going as fast as we could. I saw part of the ceiling coming down on him… I acted on it… I pushed him out… and instead of him getting crushed… it was me."

Dusty frowned, grabbing his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Blade… That's horrible… I'm so sorry…"

"I made my choice… I was hoping I was gonna get out too… I just… I just couldn't let Nick die… Things fell to pieces for me and him… I survived… but only by so much and only lived for a short time… I left a lot behind… But… it was because of that… Nick and I made our choices… he wanted to save lives for real… so he came here… Me… I wanted to stay… found myself making a contract so I could protect the ones I loved and could still be with them…" Blade looked to Dusty. "and I got to meet an amazing young man and see him grow too… don't stop here…"

"I'm not… Blade… You've really become a good friend over this time." Dusty smiled a little. "Thank you for that… I'm not gonna give up… Promise."

"Good..." Blade smiled, squeezing his hand. "I'll stay right by you."

Dusty squeezed back. "Appreciate it."

"You're gonna make it big guy."

"Got too much to live for… I'm not gonna stop fighting."

"It's who you are…" Blade smiled, looking outward. "Always fighting… and proving that you can be so much more."

* * *

The firefighters were all resting around Maru's shop. It had been a very long night of firefighting for all of them… It was a victory in that regard… now they just wanted to be there when Dusty woke up.

"Done all I can…" Maru had told them. "Now to see if he pulls through himself."

Maru was resting at his desk, Patch right next to him. The Smokejumpers were all resting around the workshop along with Cabbie. Windlifter was keeping watch outside. Nick and Dipper were on both sides of Dusty, resting in their own chairs.

The sun was barely rising when they heard the young man stirring from his slumber, coughing a bit.

"Dusty?" Dipper asked, holding one of his hands. "With us?"

He squeezed her hand weakly, opening his eyes a bit. "Y-Yeah… M'up…"

Dipper smiled. "Oh thank Machina… Guys!"

Everyone looked in, cheering a bit.

"He lives!"

Nick smiled.

"You had us worried."

Dusty smiled tiredly.

"Couldn't give up… Had a good teacher show me that."

"Just glad to see you up." Maru walked over to him. "Was able to fix up your engine, got most of you injuries treated… and your gearbox…"

Dusty frowned looking away. "Yeah… I know-"

"Fixed and replaced."

"... What?!" Dusty looked to him eyes wide seeing Maru was grinning. "A-A new gearbox? A brand NEW gearbox?"

"It was a pain in the neck to build but I did it." Maru twirled a wrench. "I'm a genius."

"Heh… Remind me to introduce you to my mechanic when I'm able to be up again… She likes smart guys."

"Heh… noted… for now… it's all about you… Nick. I believe you have news to share with him."

"That I do."

Dusty looked to Nick sitting up a bit. "What is it?"

"You showed a lot of devotion out there… and showed you were capable of doing what you need to do… by my terms… you're certified."

He gasped eyes widening. "I-I am!?" He grinned. "Really!?"

Nick nodded, smiling. "Yes."

Dusty gave a small cheer. "YES! Thank you! Thank you!"

Nick chuckled. "You've earned it."

He grinned. "You won't regret this."

_I did it… I really did it!_

"... Can't take it anymore." Dipper said. "GROUP HUG!"

"... Oh no-"

Everyone gathered around Dusty, hugging him tightly, minding his injuries.

"WELCOME TO THE CLUB!"

He laughed, hugging them as best as he could. "Happy to be aboard!"

Blade was off in the corner watching. He smiled at the sight, chuckling a bit.

_Way to go Dusty… Knew you could do it._

* * *

If Dusty had as his way, he would've gone home that day, but he needed time to rest and fully recover… soon enough, after a week or two, he was ready.

"Think I'll ever see you again?" he asked Blade as he was getting the last of his belongings packed up.

Blade shrugged.

"Perhaps… depends on you." He smiled. "If you need me… just find a place and call my name… I'll try and be there as fast as I can."

Dusty finished packing his duffel bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "I'll keep that in mind." He made his way over to the man, giving him a hug. "Thank you again… for everything."

Blade smiled, hugging him back. "You really are something, Champ."

Dusty grinned. "I do my best… See you in the future…"

Dusty headed out, the other firefighters waiting for him on the runway.

"Good luck at home… say hi to Mayday for me." Nick nodded.

"Will do…"

Dipper ran up to him, hugging him one last time. "Don't be afraid to visit."

Dusty chuckled, hugging her tightly. "I won't… take care of yourselves… torment Cad if he plans on sticking around."

"You got it."

They all gave their good byes before watching Dusty take off, heading on home.

"You know Nick…" Maru started. "Kind of reminds me of you… ya know?"

"Yeah…" Nick smiled. "Reminds me a lot of someone else as well… and old friend."

Maru squeezed his shoulder. "Has a good heart… just like Blade did…"

Nick nodded.

_And he'll go places with it._

_He made it through this fire… he can make it through any in the future._

_No doubt about it._

**The End**


End file.
